Chapter One

"Well, well; if it isn't King Thor, your big day has finally come I see." Loki snarled maliciously as he looked at the man he once called his brother as he stood on the other side of the magic force field.

"I see your time here has not cooled your anger any bit Loki." The blonde man retorted.

"I aided you in your quest against Malekith and my thanks was being put back into this hovel." Loki spat. "And then to add to my misery, that old fool decided to finally go into his eternal Odinsleep, releasing me from the glamour he placed upon me and now look at me." His arms gestured wildly at his face and body.

"You obsess too greatly about your appearance. It is odd to see you in this form, I will admit, but you are and always shall be my brother to me Loki, regardless of your heritage or appearance."

"Could you be more condescending?" Loki forced through his painfully gritted teeth. "Why are you even here Thor?"

"To offer you a chance at redemption."

"Redemption?" He repeated disbelievingly.

"I cannot simply let you walk out the door of the dungeons a free man without the guarantee to the people of Asgard and other realms that you are changed Loki." Thor explained. "You tried to eradicate two different realms for Valhalla's sake."

Loki shrugged indifferently. "It is not as though you or indeed you father were never guilty of similar. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, you too tried to exterminate the Frost Giants. Actually all this would never have occurred had it not been for your infantile tantrum at them ruining the coronation you were so woefully unprepared for. If that had not occurred, then I would still be blissfully ignorant to my revolting heritage and we would not be in this position. Who knows, perhaps your beloved mortal would never have found the Aether and Frigga would still be here to try and prevent our incessant bickering." Loki felt his anger surging up through him as he thought of Thor's pathetic human being the reason for the only person he felt truly loved him being gone.

Thor swallowed hard. He had to admit there was truth in Loki's vitriol filled words. Had he not met Jane, she would not have searched for him, and in never doing so, would more than likely never found the Aether, in turn Malekith more than likely would never have come out of his dormant state, and would not have been in Asgard as a result, and his mother would not have had to defend anyone from the Dark Elf, and would indeed be alive. "Enough."

"Oh, I have struck a nerve it seems." Loki laughed maliciously. "Tell me, how does Asgard's new queen fare? Does she enjoy her new charmed life as the Allmother, a title she will never be worthy of considering the footsteps she follows so undeservingly in." Thor's eyes flickered to the floor for a mere moment, which did not escape Loki's notice. "Ah, so she is not queen yet. You had better hurry along Odinson; Idunn will not give you a golden apple for the wench lest she be your wife."

"Enough!" Thor's roar shook the room. Loki merely cocked a brow, having anticipated such a reaction. Thor took a moment to calm himself before he spoke again. "The Lady Jane has lived her life Loki." Loki stared at Thor in shock. "You have served a sentence spanning almost a century to date. Those whom we met on Midgard, my friends and comrades, have all long passed on to Valhalla." Thor swallowed hard again as he thought of the Avengers, the mortals he had come to love as his brethren.

"The Mighty Thor, a snivelling dung heap of emotions because of some measly mortals." Loki sneered cruelly, revelling in Thor's pain. "I warned you before; their lives are but a heartbeat to us."

"You did. I sometimes think you warned me of such to not see me hurt. Behind it all, you were always looking out for me Loki, even as our rivalry grew, you always made sure to look out for my wellbeing."

"I think you are being overly romantic in your thinking Thor, I was simply trying to bask in your misery, nothing more." Loki chuckled as he shook his head. "So what is this redemption of which you speak? I have grown bored of this conversation."

"You need to accept yourself Loki, as you are, whatever way that may be." Thor began.

"Says the man that was always the pinnacle of manliness and is seen as exceptionally handsome by every woman he sees." Loki dismissed.

"As I was saying." Thor continued. "You need to accept that your appearance externally does not dictate you as a being. So to teach you such, I am banishing you to the Winter Palace, and there you shall remain by magic until you accept yourself, and if you are able to do such, you will return to the appearance that I have always known you as, the one you prefer." Thor explained.

"You are as cruel if not more so than that bastard of a father of yours Odinson." Loki could not hold back his tears of fury.

"It is for your own good." Loki scoffed. "I am trying to help you become as you once were brother."

"I am not your brother, I never was. And we will never be able to go back to as it was."

"I am doing this for you Loki; I hope a time will come when you will thank me for it."

"Do not hold your breath."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Lagertha, where are you?"

"Right here." The young woman responded as she rushed to her father's aid. "What in the Nine Realms are you up to?" She laughed as she helped him load a box onto the cart.

"I am required to go to the Golden City. The new King and Allfather has called on the heads of each town and village to meet there so to discuss the needs of the people of the realm, he wished to be able to properly assess their needs."

"You do not honestly think you are going all that way by yourself do you? I am coming with you." She stated adamantly.

"I do not require my daughter coming with me as though she is caring for a young child."

"I have seen your attempts to cook and care for yourself, lest you forget father, so that statement is highly debatable. It is going to take the bones of a fortnight to get you there, I refuse to leave you care for yourself for such a time." She insisted. "I will get us a few more supplies from the village, and then we will head for the Great City."

Knowing he was not going to win the argument, Æðelstan conceded and watched while shaking his head at his stubborn daughter as she made her way to the village to get some more supplies for their journey.

The village was fairly quiet and the people went about their business happily as Lagertha walked through the streets, saluting those whom she knew as she went.

After getting a few goods she required, Lagertha went to the local book shop, hoping that the books she ordered had arrived in time for her journey so that she would, at the very least, have something worthwhile to read. Luckily they had, and she delightedly placed them with the rest of her purchases and headed home.

"Ah, Lagertha, a pleasure to see you, as always."

Lagertha shuddered as she thought of the owner of the voice. "Jarl, I really wish I could say the feeling was mutual." She retorted angrily.

"Don't be like that sweetheart, well not outside of the bedroom at least. With that temper, I dare say you will be a little lioness in the bed." He grinned wolfishly.

Lagertha was at risk of seeing her breakfast again with his words. "If you ever speak to me like that again you pathetic, no good farmyard beast." She snarled.

"I see you got some more books." Jarl completely ignored her threats. "Is such really a worthy pursuit? It would be more in such a fine little specimen's line to be deciding how best she will care for our many children."

Without so much as a glance sideways, Lagertha struck him squarely in the crotch with her books, ensuring to strike him with the corner of them. Jarl fell to the floor in agony. "If you ever come within several feet of me again you foul creature, I will not hesitate in castrating you." She swore as she headed back home.

When she finally made it home, her father had finished tacking the horse and filling the cart. "Ready?" He asked with a smile, secretly glad to have his daughters company. Lagertha nodded quietly. "Should I ask?" he ventured cautiously.

"I came across Jarl in the village."

"And what did that idiot want? The usual?"

"Apparently I need to be considering how best to care for the brats he intends to fill me with."

"Brave would be the one to trifle with you my dear." Æðelstan laughed.

"Are all men like that, father?"

"Thankfully no, but you have yet to meet a real gentleman. Perhaps in the beautiful Golden City you shall meet such."

"Who can tell, such is the sheer definition of adventure." She smiled in return.